Crouched atop the fox's head, the lizard remained perfectly still, its claws resting lightly on the pouch beneath it.
Its golden eyes stared into nothing.
…A **ghost anchor**.
The words lingered in its mind.
I have memories of ghosts… but not *real* ghosts.
Its thoughts moved slowly, carefully piecing fragments together.
A ghost is the soul of something after it dies… right?
It tilted its head slightly.
The Human also reincarnate.
So if something doesn't reincarnate…
Does it turn into a ghost?
The question was directed inward, formed with simple curiosity rather than fear.
**{SYSTEM}**
**Affirmative — with conditions.**
**Ghosts are formed when a soul fails to return to the reincarnation cycle.**
**However, not all souls become ghosts.**
The lizard waited in silence.
**{SYSTEM}**
**Ghosts are created when a soul is anchored by powerful factors, including:**
• **Intense emotions** — hatred, obsession, regret
• **Cultivation failure** — death during breakthroughs or tribulations
• **Severe soul damage or forbidden techniques**
• **Yin-heavy locations** — battlefields, mass graves, ruins
• **Intentional refusal** — cultivators who choose not to pass on
**The stronger the anchor, the stronger the ghost.**
The lizard absorbed the information.
Hmn.
Then another thought surfaced, slower and more deliberate.
What are ghosts like?
Can they also… cultivate?
**{SYSTEM}**
• **Ghosts survive using Yin Qi**, emotions, resentment, or fear
• **Low-level ghosts possess little awareness**
• **High-level ghosts can retain intelligence and memory**
• **Some ghosts can cultivate, take physical form, or possess bodies**
• **Ghosts are vulnerable to Yang energy, sunlight, and heavenly lightning**
**Advanced ghosts may become stable enough to be classified as independent beings.**
The lizard's tail twitched faintly.
So they're not weak.
Just… different.
One detail stood out.
Yin Qi.
It had heard it mentioned too many times now to ignore.
…You keep mentioning Yin energy.
What is that?
The question formed clearly.
**{SYSTEM}**
**Yin Qi is a fundamental aspect of existence.**
**If Yang represents life, warmth, growth, and vitality—**
**then Yin represents death, stillness, cold, decay, and spirit.**
The fox moved unseen through the Night Market, lantern light passing harmlessly through invisible fur as the explanation continued.
**{SYSTEM}**
• **Living beings naturally produce Yang Qi**
• **Ghosts, corpses, and spirits resonate with Yin Qi**
• **Yin Qi nourishes souls but weakens flesh**
• **Excessive Yin causes stagnation, corruption, and decay**
**Ghosts require Yin Qi to exist.**
**Without it, they dissipate.**
The lizard processed this quietly.
So ghosts eat Yin energy to get stronger.
Different food.
Same purpose.
Survive.
Above the bustling Night Market of Rivermarch—hidden amid deception, disguise, and layered intent—the lizard crouched silently. Its blind eyes remained unfocused, but its mind expanded, instincts quietly adapting to a world far stranger than simple hunger.
Still perched atop the fox's head, the lizard's thoughts turned again.
So ghosts can cultivate…
But not spiritual energy.
Are they the same as humans and beasts?
The question formed plainly.
**{SYSTEM}**
**Correct. Ghosts can cultivate.**
**However, their cultivation path is fundamentally different.**
The lizard waited.
**{SYSTEM}**
**Humans and beasts cultivate *Spiritual Qi***
— a balanced energy aligned with life, flesh, and growth.
**Ghosts cultivate *Yin Qi***
— an energy aligned with death, soul, and stillness.
**The source is different.**
**The method is different.**
**The result is different.**
A brief pause followed.
**{SYSTEM}**
**Ghost Cultivation Overview:**
• Ghosts refine **Yin Qi** instead of Spiritual Qi
• Their cultivation strengthens the **soul**, not the body
• Advancement stabilizes their existence and prevents dissipation
• High cultivation allows formation of a **corporeal ghost body**
**Ghosts do not age.**
**They do not bleed.**
**They do not heal like living beings.**
Instead—
**{SYSTEM}**
**They grow by anchoring themselves more deeply to the world.**
The lizard's claws tightened slightly against the pouch.
Anchoring…
**{SYSTEM}**
**Ghost cultivation stages parallel living cultivation — but are inverted.**
• Where humans build **foundations**, ghosts reinforce **anchors**
• Where humans form **cores**, ghosts condense **Yin nuclei**
• Where humans strengthen flesh, ghosts solidify **spiritual form**
**At higher levels, advanced ghosts can:**
• Manifest physically
• Possess bodies without degradation
• Create ghost domains or Yin territories
• Resist sunlight and Yang suppression
• Cultivate independently like living beings
A final clarification followed.
**{SYSTEM}**
**Important Distinction:**
**Ghosts cannot cultivate Spiritual Qi naturally.**
**Living beings cannot cultivate Yin Qi safely.**
**Mixing the two without extreme compatibility leads to corruption or annihilation.**
The lizard absorbed the information slowly.
So ghosts walk a different path.
Not weaker.
Not stronger.
Just… opposite.
Its thoughts settled into something simple.
Humans eat Qi.
Ghosts eat Yin.
I eat flesh.
Different ways.
Same goal.
Become stronger.
The Night Market hummed beneath them, full of beings walking paths that looked similar on the surface—but beneath their disguises were shaped by entirely different laws of existence.
The lizard remained still, thoughts sharpening further.
So once a ghost forms its core…
It steps into **Foundation Establishment**—
Just like when a beast forms a **demon core**.
**{SYSTEM}**
**Correct.**
**For non-human paths, core formation and foundation establishment are the same event.**
**At equivalent realms, core structures are functionally identical across races.**
**Cultivation Equivalency (Same Realm):**
• **Humans** — cultivate Spiritual Qi within the **Dantian**
• **Beasts** — cultivate Spiritual/Demonic Qi within a **Beast (Demon) Core**
• **Ghosts** — cultivate Yin Qi within a **Yin Core**
**All three serve the same purpose:**
• Energy storage
• Energy refinement
• Realm stability
**The difference is not the realm.**
**The difference is the medium.**
The explanation continued.
**{SYSTEM}**
**Foundation Establishment Realm:**
• Humans → Foundation stabilizes the **Dantian**
• Beasts → Foundation stabilizes the **Beast Core**
• Ghosts → Foundation stabilizes the **Yin Core**
**At this realm, all are considered equal under world law.**
Restrictions.
Suppression fields.
Market access.
All identical.
A final emphasis followed.
**Ghosts do not skip realms.**
**They cultivate the same realms — but using Yin Qi instead of Spiritual Qi.**
The understanding settled properly now.
So it's not:
Different realms.
It's:
Same realm.
Different energy.
Different body.
The lizard's thoughts finally calmed.
If a ghost stands in Foundation Establishment…
It is no weaker than a beast or a human at Foundation Establishment.
Only different.
Above the lantern-lit Night Market of Rivermarch, that rule quietly governed everyone present—no matter how carefully they hid what they truly were.